Explosive-engine.



No. 721,872. 'PATENTED MAR. s, 1903 I A. EVENSEN.

EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1900.

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EXPLOSIVE ENGINE. APPLIO ATION FILED NOV. 2, 1900.

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UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE.-

ANTON EVENSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES R. HANNAN, OF COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA.

EXPLOSlVE-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart/of Letters Patent No. 721,872, dated March 3, 1903. Application filed November 2,1900- Serial No. 35,203. (No model.)

To all whom it may conocwt:

Be it known that I, ANTQN EVENSEN, of

Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and

to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to single-acting gasengines of that class wherein the charge is admitted to the cylinder at every revolution of the crank-shaft under normal conditions of working from a separate compressionchamber through a valve controlled by an automatic governing device. I

The invention consists in the matters here-' inafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In general terms theengine illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises a singleacting engine wherein balance is obtained by having the piston and cylinder reciprocate in opposite'directions, both being attached by the usual connecting-rod and wrist-pin connections to oppositely-extending cranks secured to a main shaft. A compression-cylinder and a piston are in operative connection with the main cylinder and a suitable fuel-supply chamber or tank, and the compressed carbureted air or gas is led therefrom to a compression coil or chamber. From hence it is discharged through a valve into the main cylinder, said valve being automatically controlled by a governing device upon the main shaft through connecting tappets, rods, and rock-arms.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing two engines each of which embodies the salient features of my invention, both engines being coupled in the usual quartering relation to a single main shaft and both being controlled by the same governing device. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the engines. Fig. 3 is. a view, partially in longitudinal section, showing the piston, cylinder, crank-shaft, and connecting-rods of one of the engines. Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the cylinder and piston, with their connections, and in longitudinal section of the coming sliding connection with parallel guide-' rods B. Said rods form a part of an engineframe, being connected at their ends by suitable cross-pieces B. Said cylinder is connected by a connecting-rod a with the main crank-shaft C, which is mounted in bearings c on the guide-rods B. Said cylinder A is fitted with a piston D, which has a connecting-rod d pivotally secured at one end to the piston-stem and at the other to a wrist-pin d, fastened at the end of a crank-arm of equal length to the cylinder crank-arm and secured opposite thereto on the main shaft C. 0 represents the casing of a valve which is preferably connected with the cylinder-head a, said valve being of a rotary or rocking type and being operated by any preferred form of mechanism.

Referring specifically to the details of the cylinder and piston connections, the cylinder A is provided at either end with laterally-projecting lugs a Said lugs have sliding engagement with the guides B. The cylinder is fitted with a piston-head formed of the usual spiders d and expansion-rings d secured between the spiders, said spiders and rings being centrally secured on the pistonstem 01*. Said piston-stem is provided at its outer end with the usual pin d to which is secured one end of the piston-connecting rod d, which has the usual bearing-brasses, strap, and key. The other end of said connectingrod 01 is pivotally secured by the usual split bearing and brasses on the-wrist-pin d. Said wrist-pin d is attached to one arm of the double crank G. The other end of said crank carries a similar wrist-pin a On the side of the cylinder A an exterior boss 0. is cast near the open end of the cylinder, said boss forming a convenient surface on which a pivotpin a is secured. The inner end of the cyl- Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5 IOU inder crank-rod a is pivotally secured to the pivot-pin a by the usual bearing-brasses, strap, and key. The outer end of said connecting-rod a is likewise secured to the pin a by the usual split bearin From this method of connection it follows that an expansion of gas or air in the cylinder between the piston and head forces the piston and cylinder in opposite directions. They bear, through their connnections upon the opposite ends of the crank G, in opposite directions. Said cranks being rigid with the main shaft G, the latter is rotated in its bearing, and as the forces acting upon the opposite arms of the crank G are equal and in point of direction opposite there is a minimum lateral strain upon the main-shaft bearings, said pressure or strain being completely overcome at the deadcenter and having but slight effect at the point of maximum leverage. If two cylinders are coupled with their crank-armsin the usual relation of one hundred and eighty degrees to each other, as shown in Fig. 1, the torsional efiect upon the shaft is practically the only stress under which it operates.

The valve actuating and governing mechanism may be of any preferred form, but as herein described is of a type illustrated and claimed in an application, Serial No. 50,616, filed by me March 11, 1901, for a valve actuating and governing mechanism forexplosiveengines and is not specially claimed herein. Referring to the construction, in general terms, of said valve actuating and governing mechanism, H is the usual fly-wheel, keyed to the outer end of the main shaft 0. A cam-disk I, concentric with the main shaft, is mounted loosely thereon next to the inner face of the driving-wheel H and secured to the main fiy-wheel by weigh ted bell-crank levers K, so disposed that varying positions of the levers due to changes in the engine speed vary the angular relations of the disk and fly-wheel. Said disk I carries on its face remote from the fly-wheel H a cam-groove t Said cam-groove is connected operatively with rocker-arms L and L, and rods L with tappet-blocks N N, which are secured in proximity to the cylinder-head a of the cylinder.

Referring to the valve proper, it comprises a casing O and plug 0, the valve being of the oscillatory or rocking type. The casing has the form of a cylinder, as herein shown, extending across the outer face of the cylinder-head a, and the valve-plug O, which revolves therein, is so fitted as to afford feed and exhaust ports to the cylinder and cut-off at the proper positions of the cylinder and piston. A valve-stem 0 which projects through the casing O, carries at its outer end a rocker-arm R, which engages, by means of a roller 1', journaled thereon, the tappets N N, so as to be actuated by the combined shifting motion of the eccentric disk I and the reciprocating longitudinal movement of the cylinder.

The device for igniting the charge and exploding the same at the proper point in the cylinder may be of any preferred form.

Referring now to the details of the compressing and charging device and its connection with the cylindervalve, F represents a cylinder closed at one end and secured to the main frame in parallel relation to the main cylinder. Preferably it is attached, a little below and to one side of said cylinder, to the cross-piece B. Said closed end is provided with the usual head f, which has a central aperture f. Said aperture is connected by apipe Vor other means to a vaporizer or chamber supplying hydrocarbon vapor, or to a source of gas-supply in case a fixed gas be used as fuel. A valve-closuref is seated on the inner end of said aperture, so as to open inwardly toward the cylinder to allow free ingress of the fuel and close to prevent egress thereof when compression takes place. A piston having a hollow piston-head f and a hollow stem f slides in said cylinder, the outer end of the stem being rigidly secured to the outer face of the main-cylinder wall at a point approximately opposite the end of the piston-stroke. The inner face of the piston-head is apertured to connect with the interior duct on the stem, as shown. The fixed end of the hollow piston-stem f is connected by suitable means to a compression-chamber in juxtaposition to the maincylinder wall, so that it is heated thereby, together with its contents. A convenient way of accomplishing this result is to form the compression-chamber of a metallic coil or half-coil of pipe T, which leads up and over the exterior of the main cylinder A, is doubled back and forth part way around the cylinderwall, and from thence extends over the cylinder-head a to the ingress-port 0 in the end of the valve-casing 0. An air-port F is provided in the outer wall of the compressioncylinder F near its closed end, said aperture being fitted with an inwardly-opening valveclosnre f The operation of the compression-cylinder is as follows: On the return stroke of the main cylinder toward the piston-head it carries with it the hollow piston F, drawing it toward the outer or open end of the compression-cylinder F," thereby creating a vacuum, so that the gas or vapor from the carbureter is drawn in through the orifice f past the opening closuref and air enters through the aperture F said apertures being so proportioned that the proper relative quantities of air and gas or vapor are admitted. On the outstroke of the main cylinder the commingled gas or vapor and air in the compressioncylinder F are compressed and forced through the hollow stem of the piston into the halfcoils T on the top of the main cylinder, a suitable check-valve F being located in the piston-head F to prevent the return of the gas in the compression-coils to the cylinder on the outstroke of the compression-piston.

The operation of the engine mechanism as position shown, both ports being closed and the tappets N and N being free from the valve rocker-arm R, and the spring-plate r holding the valve closure in the position above indicated. The terminals Q and Q are at this time just at the point of breaking. At the explosion of the charge by the spark resulting from the break the expansion of the ignited gases forces the cylinder-head and piston-head apart, thereby imparting a ro-" tary motion to the main shaft 0 and the flywheel H through the double-armed'crank. Said fiy-wheel carries with it in its rotation the usual governing device, which controls the valve in the usual manner. As the piston and cylinder heads separate still farther the uncovering of the auxiliary port a in the side of the cylinder affords a way of escape for the waste gases and products of combustion in the cylinder. As the cylinder-head and piston approach each other on the return stroke the waste gases are forced out through the exhaust-port. Air also freely circulates through the cylinder during a greater part of the cycle and follows the piston-head, thereby cooling the same and keeping the whole at a working temperature. Coincident with this series of movements the compression-piston forces more gas into the compression-coil and draws a fresh charge into the compressioncylinder, as hereinbefore described.

The form of construction of the frame may vary. A convenient method of construction, where extreme lightness is required, is that shown, which comprises the guide-rods B, preferably cylindrical in form and secured at their ends to the cross-ties B, which may be of any market shape. Theinterreciprocation of the cylinder and piston reduces, by half, the length of the crank-throw, so that the engine is greatly shortened. This obviates the necessity of having great lateral rigidity. This interreciprocation of the piston and cylinder, by which the reaction of the cylinder is conveyed directly as a torsional strain to the shaft instead of. being communicated, as in usual types, to the engine-bed, further allows light bearings and light connections with the frame. The main-shaft bearingbolts do nothave to take any shear due to the cylinder reaction, but merely serve as anchorbolts which hold the floating mechanism in place and take up anyexternal strain, such as the pull of a belt or the thrust of a drivingpinion. The internal stress and strain of the engine proper are not communicated in any way to the frame, and therefore the latter can be made of skeleton form, as shown. As the balance is nearly perfect, a lighter flywheel than usual maybe employed. This, together with the lightened frame, is a desideratum when applying the engine to motor-vehicle or launch work.

The parts herein shown and described may be of any convenient design to fit different engine service, and I do not'limit myself to the forms and arrangement of parts except as set forth in the claims.

I claim as my invention 1. An explosive-engine comprising a main cylinder having endwise reciprocatory movement, a piston in the main cylinder, a main frame having parallel guides for the main cylinder, guide-lugs on the main cylinder having sliding engagement with said parallel guides, a crankshaft having oppositely-extending cranks, bearings for said shaft rigidly attached to the engine-frame, and connecting-rods connecting ,the main cylinder and the piston with the'cranks of the crankshaft.

2. An explosive-engine comprising a main cylinder having reciprocating longitudinal movement, a statiouary,separate charge-compressing cylinder arranged parallel with the main cylinder, and a piston for said compression-cylinder the stem of which is rigidly attached to said main cylinder.

3. An explosive-engine comprising a main cylinder having reciprocating longitudinal movement, a charge compressing cylinder and a piston for said compressing-cylinder comprising a hollow head and a hollow stem opening into said head, gasor fuel and air intake valves in said compressing-cylinder and an outlet-valve in said piston-head, said piston-stem being secured at its outer end to said main cylinder.

4:. An explosive-engine comprising a main cylinder having a reciprocating longitudinal movement, a charge-compressing chamber discharging into said main cylinder, a compression-cylinder arranged parallel with the main cylinder, said compression-cylinder being arranged to discharge into the said chamber, and a piston in the compression-cylinder, the stem of which is rigidly attached to the main cylinder.

5. An explosive-engine comprising parallel guide-rods, a -main cylinder having sliding connection with said guide-rods and having longitudinal reciprocatory motion thereon, a

piston in the cylinder, and a crank-shaft the bearings of which are rigidly connected with said guide-rods and having a double crank connected with the cylinder and piston.

6. An explosive-engine comprising parallel guide-rods, a main cylinder having sliding connection with said guide-rods and having longitudinal reciprocatory motion thereon, a piston in the cylinder, a crank-shaft the bearings of which are rigidly connected with said guide-rods and which has a double crank connected with the cylinder and piston, a separate charge-compressing cylinder arranged parallel with the main cylinder, and a piston in said compressing-cylinder the stem of which is rigidly attached to said main cylinder.

7. An explosiveengine comprising a main cylinder having reciprocating, longitudinal movement, a charge-compressing chamber discharging into said main cylinder, a compression-cylinder, a piston for said cylinder secured by its stem to said main cylinder, a duct leading through said piston and stem to said com pression-chamber, a gas or vapor port opening into said cylinder, an air-port in said cylinder, and valves in said duct and ports whereby the outstroke of said piston fills said cylinder with air and fuel or gas, and the instroke of said piston compresses the contents of said cylinder and forces it into said compression-chamber.

8. An explosive-engine comprising a main cylinder having reciprocating, longitudinal movement, a charge-compressing cylinder, a piston for said compression-cylinder having its stem rigidly secured to said main cylinder,

and a duct through said piston and stem de livering the charge to said main cylinder.

9. An explosive-engine comprising a main cylinder having reciprocating, longitudinal movement, a charge compressing chamber discharging into said main cylinder, a compressing-cylinder, a piston for said cylinder having its stem secured to said main cylinder, and a duct through said piston and stem opening into said compression-chamber for delivering the compressed charges therein.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 30th day of October, A. D. 1900.

ANTON EVENSEN.

Witnesses:

CLEMENT R. STICKNEY, BERTHA A. PRICE. 

